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WILPF Activism: Local to National to Global

Members and supporters of the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW) and WILPF from the U.K, Norway, Sweeden, Belgium, the U.S and Japan meet in Manchester, England, March 2012. Photo courtesy of Rochdale News

WILPF invites eNews readers to join in efforts to achieve a global uranium weapons treaty by supporting the work of the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW). With the support of our U.S Branches we aim to raise awareness of the fact that the U.S Government uses chemically toxic radioactive waste in wars and that the time has come for an end to this practice. Uranium weapons, often called “depleted” uranium (DU) weapons, are manufactured from radioactive waste materials produced during the nuclear fuel chain and the production of nuclear weapons.

The Washington DC Branch of WILPF, through a mini-grant from the National Office, is currently sending out information to WILPF members throughout the US with an invitation to promote viewings of the documentary URANIO 238, produced by the San José, Costa Rica Quaker Peace Center. We aim to challenge the United States Government's position on Depleted Uranium as in October 2012 a new resolution will be passed on uranium weapons in the UN General Assembly. Read more...

Simply put: with 7 billion people to feed on the planet today, a billion of whom already live in chronic hunger, and another 2 billion expected to join the population by 2050, the need to provide sufficient nutritious food for all, as well as sufficient drinking water, is urgent. In a recent article, “Water-short world will need ‘More crop per drop’," government Ministers at the official 6th World Water Forum are quoted saying that demand for drinking water, agriculture, industry and energy production have to be balanced. By balanced, let’s keep in mind that many corporate and government policy-makers support calculating and pricing an amount of water per day per person. Yet, we know that industry and energy overuse, waste and pollute water with impunity. More importantly, the Institute for Food and Development Policy finds that in all countries, from developing to industrialized, the main cause of hunger is poverty—not a shortage of food, and the conversion of agricultural land to other uses. Read more...

International Women's Day: A Time to Advance the Rights of Women Locally and Globally!

Celebrating International Women's Day, Millee Livingston from Sierra Foothills WILPF, Auburn, CA, delivered a talk about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) at the Sierra Foothills Unitarian Universalist (SFUU) service on March 11, and at the April 5th meeting of the Auburn Area Democratic Club (AADC). Her talked urged all participants at both talks to demand that the U.S. join the 187 other countries (out of 193) who have ratified the Convention originally adopted by the UN General Assembly in December, 1979.The Convention “gives women around the globe a strong human rights framework for their struggles for equity, justice and control of their own lives." She noted that “had the United States ratified CEDAW, the current assault against women’s rights would be a direct violation of this treaty."

Signatures from the SFUU talk and the AADC talk were sent in a letter (see sample letter here) to President Obama, and California Congresswomen Boxer and Feinstein are urging ratification of CEDAW this election year.

Cleveland Branch Enjoys Visit by Pakistan Section President

by Yoshiko Ikuta

The Cleveland Branch of WILPF, locally known as Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice celebrated International Women’s Day on March 10, 2012. We met at the Kan Zaman Middle Eastern restaurant in a revitalized Cleveland neighborhood near downtown. The ambience of the Arabic interior décor added to the international flavor and welcoming atmosphere for our speaker, Sameena Nazir from Pakistan. Read more...

Rose Daitsman, of the Milwaukee Branch of WILPF, was presented with the Eunice Edgar Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to economic, gender, and racial equity at the 2012 ACLU Wisconsin Bill of Rights Celebration on March 17. In accepting the award, Rose paid tribute to Jane Addams, who, in addition to being the first International President of WILPF, was a founder of ACLU and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. She noted how Addams enabled people to find their voice to organize to combat injustice and oppression and said, ”Without Justice, there can be no Peace, and without Civil Liberties there can be no Justice. The United States Bill of Rights and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights together provide the moral and ethical values that can be a guide for restructuring our society." The Milwaukee Branch sponsored a table at the event that displayed a WILPF History Exhibit.

Moving Mountains for Peace

by Carol Urner

For almost a hundred years WILPF women have been breaking down the mountains of war, stone by stone and "peace by peace.” Conversely, WILPF promotes building beloved communities with economic justice and human rights for all, and establishing national and international institutions based on principles of dialogue and diplomacy. We’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go. Here are a few glimpses of the varied work of the END WARS/DISARM! Issue Committee to move the mountains of war and nurture the roots of peace. Read more...

Do you follow a format for consensus building when collaborating with other members, or have a practice for non-violent communication or conflict resolution? How do you instill peaceful communication into your group meetings? Would you be willing to answer a few questions so we can learn from you? We are the Practicing Peace Ad-Hoc Committee established at last April’s annual Board meeting, with the charge of generating peaceful communication processes for internal and external use by WILPF. You might have seen last spring’s E-news notice inviting members to join the group. (See, http://www.wilpf.org/2011Congress#Communication). Read more...

Reflections on U.S. WILPF's Participation in the 56th CSW

by Robin Lloyd

Local2Global WILPF Members Participate in the 56th CSW

Twenty college age WILPF-U.S. Practicum students, and 8 Local2Global WILPF members, made U.S. WILPF’s participation in the 56th CSW our largest ever. For first hand reflections from former Practicum participant and 2012 Local2Global Coordinator, see Katie Booher's Blog.

This year’s theme focused on "the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges." In addition to our own Practicum and Local2Global participants, WILPF members from sections around the world, including Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sweden and Lebanon, participated in numerous events and voiced our recommendations for a holistic approach to conflict prevention. Read WILPF's complete CSW Summary here.

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